I couldn't believe it.I was going to sing with Jesse Young.His voice was the one I grew up listening to on the radio.I bought his first album with my tooth fairy money.
Harold Hayes: You bought their album with your tooth fairy money?
Penny: It is a fun little story.I guess I can mention it.
During a family yard sale, I bit into a chicken leg, and when I looked down, my tooth was stuck in the meat.I skipped into the carport and tapped James on the back.When he turned around, I held up the chicken leg as if I were holding a trophy.It took him a while to understand what I was showing him because he was negotiating the price of some old fishing gear with a man.My mom carefully removed the tooth from the drumstick, cleaned it, and helped me place it under my pillow when I went to bed.
The next day, I found two dollars and some change under the chilled side of my pillow.James asked me what I wanted to use the money for.
“Can we go to the record store Rocking Revolt?”I asked him.I had walked past the store before and saw the neon lights in the window.
“Sure.I think it's on Seventh and Main Street.”
Rocking Revolt had endless crates of vinyl records to choose from.They carried popular bands to local up-and-coming artists.They had a color-changing jukebox in the corner of the store where you could request songs, three sound-listening booths, and globe lights hanging off the ceiling.
James and I were searching for an album we did not know of and amazed us.As we scanned through each album, one caught my eye.The cover depicted a man with tattoos and a dark, shaggy haircut sitting on a diving board with his boots hanging just above the water.A darker-skinned man with big hair behind him was preparing to push the other man into the pool.A blonde woman stood to the left of the diving board, holding an orange bass fender.On the right side of the board was a soft, curly-haired man pressing his fingers down on a keyboard.The chlorine water reflected their silhouettes, forming quite a breathtaking scene.
James detected that I was stunned by the image.He took the album out of my hands and flipped it over.On the back of the album was a picture of all their instruments thrown into the water.They had five songs on each side.The album was called, “Dive In.”
“What do you think?The cover is cool,” I said, looking for James’s approval.
“I don’t know.We should listen to it first.”
James took me over to one of the listening booths.I sat criss cross applesauce on the fuzzy rug.He pulled the record from its protective sleeve and placed it onto the turntable.The first song was the same as the album’s name.“Dive In” was a fun summery song.The chorus sang:
“It’s hotter than hell
There’s nothing to do.
Darling, you might as well.
Dive into the blue.”
The rest of the tracks on the album had more experimental elements.I tugged on the shaggy carpet while I listened.“Sandy” was the second song on the A-side.It was a slower melody about heartbreak and wanting a simple life.“Catching a Cloud” contained a fascinating drum solo.“Sunrays Burn” was an intense song with loud bass chords.The lyrics held anger in them.It was about having a good time but being left with a sunburn that wouldn’t go away.It was silly and nothing like anything I heard before.
As I sat and listened to the album, James inspected the cover in more detail.By the time we reached the B side of the record, I was smiling from ear to ear.It was the ideal album to buy with my tooth fairy money.
“Well, what’s the verdict?”James asked.
“I will take it,” I said as a little bit of saliva shot out from where my front tooth used to be.
The man at the front counter was wearing a tie-dye shirt.His hair was longer than mine, and he wore round, golden-framed glasses.
I jumped up to place the record on the counter.
“Right on.We just got this album in stock.The main singer, Jesse, and his friends used to live here in Butterfield when they were kids.I think Jesse Young and the Matches are going to become huge,” the man claimed.
James winked at me when he said, “My daughter has good taste.”
Then, James handed the man my tooth fairy money.He counted out the coins and put them in the register.
“Do you nice folks need a bag?”
“No, I think we are okay,” James said, because he knew I wanted people to see me with the album.
I was proud that my missing tooth funded my first record.I strolled down the sidewalk with a black hole in my mouth and the album facing toward any passing cars.The bright aqua water on the cover shimmered in people’s side mirrors.
James held my other hand until we got back to his truck, ready to take it home and give it another listen.
